U.S. patent application number 11/443890 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-06 for dialing assistant that includes an interface with a geographic display.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Lynda J. Fleming.
Application Number | 20070281668 11/443890 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38790899 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070281668 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fleming; Lynda J. |
December 6, 2007 |
Dialing assistant that includes an interface with a geographic
display
Abstract
Apparatus for assisting a caller with the placement of a call
from a telephone device to a called party in a foreign country. The
apparatus being operable to display a geographic map; prompt the
caller to select the foreign country from the geographic map;
generate, responsive to selection of the foreign country by the
caller, a digit string that includes a first access code, if any,
for routing the call off of a private network. The digit string
also including a second access code to route the call off of a
national network associated with the location of the telephone
device, and a country code of the foreign country. The caller is
prompted to enter a local number of the called party. Digits of the
local number are then appended to the digit string. It is
emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules
requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to
quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to
interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR
1.72(b).
Inventors: |
Fleming; Lynda J.; (Plano,
TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE LAW OFFICES OF BRADLEY J. BEREZNAK
800 WEST EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 180
MOUNTAIN VIEW
CA
94040
US
|
Assignee: |
Cisco Technology, Inc.
San Jose
CA
|
Family ID: |
38790899 |
Appl. No.: |
11/443890 |
Filed: |
May 31, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/414.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/00 20130101; H04M
1/72427 20210101; H04W 76/10 20180201; H04M 1/27485 20200101; H04W
64/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/414.1 |
International
Class: |
H04Q 7/38 20060101
H04Q007/38; H04Q 7/22 20060101 H04Q007/22; H04M 3/42 20060101
H04M003/42 |
Claims
1. Apparatus for assisting a caller with the placement of a call
from a mobile telephone device to a called party in a foreign
country comprising: means for determining a geographic position of
the mobile telephone device; means, responsive to target network
selection input of the caller, for automatically populating a
dialing buffer with a first access code, if any, for routing the
call off of a private network, a second access code to route the
call off of a national network associated with the geographic
position of the mobile telephone device, and the country code of
the foreign country, the means for populating the dialing buffer
further for prompting the caller to enter a final part of a
telephone number of the called party.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for storing
the first access code, the second access code, and a plurality of
third access codes that includes the country code of the foreign
country.
3. Apparatus for assisting a caller with the placement of a call
from a telephone device to a called party in a foreign country, the
telephone device being associated with a private network that is
connected to a national network, comprising: a user interface that
provides the caller with the ability to select the foreign country
of the called party; and means, responsive to the selection of the
caller, for automatically populating a dialing buffer with a first
access code, if any, for routing the call off of a private network,
a second access code to route the call off of a national network
associated with the geographic position of the mobile telephone
device, and the country code of the foreign country.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the means is further for
prompting the caller to enter a National Significant Number (NSN)
of a telephone number of the called party.
5. Logic for assisting a caller with the placement of a call from a
telephone device to a called party in a foreign country, the logic
being encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed
operable to: display a geographic map; prompt the caller to select
the foreign country from the geographic map; generate, responsive
to selection of the foreign country by the caller, a digit string
that includes a first access code, if any, for routing the call off
of a private network, a second access code to route the call off of
a national network associated with the location of the telephone
device, and a country code of the foreign country; and prompt the
caller to enter a local number of the called party, upon entry,
digits of the local number being appended to the digit string.
6. The logic of claim 5, further operable to place the call using
the digit string responsive to a command of the caller after the
caller has entered the local number.
7. The logic of claim 5, wherein the digit string is stored in a
buffer of the telephone device.
8. The logic of claim 5, wherein the telephone device includes a
memory to store the first access code, a plurality of national
network access codes that includes the second access code, and a
plurality of country codes that includes the country code of the
foreign country.
9. The logic of claim 5, wherein the selection of the foreign
country is made via a touch screen input of the caller.
10. The logic of claim 5, wherein the local number comprises a
National Significant Number (NSN).
11. The logic of claim 5, further operable to: display a world map;
and prompt the caller to select a continent or region from the
world map, wherein the geographic map displayed corresponds to the
continent or region selected by the caller from the world map.
12. A processor-implemented method of assisting a caller with the
placement of an international call from a telephone device to a
called party in a foreign country, comprising: displaying a world
map to the caller; prompting the caller to select a continent or
region from the world map; displaying a continent/regional map, the
continent/regional map corresponding to the continent or region
selected by the caller from the world map; prompting the caller to
select the foreign country from the continent/regional map;
generating, responsive to the foreign country selected by the
caller, a digit string that includes a first access code, if any,
for routing the call off of a private network, a second access code
to route the call off of a national network associated with a
current location of the telephone device, and a country code of the
foreign country; and prompting the caller to enter a local number
of the called party, upon entry, digits of the local number being
appended to the digit string.
13. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 further
comprising: placing the call using the digit string responsive to a
command of the caller.
14. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 further
comprising: storing the digit string in a buffer.
15. The processor-implemented method of claim 12 further
comprising: accessing a memory that stores the first access code, a
plurality of national network access codes that includes the second
access code, and a plurality of country codes that includes the
country code of the foreign country.
16. A processor-implemented method of assisting a caller with the
placement of an international call from a telephone device to a
called party in a foreign country, comprising: prompting the caller
to select the foreign country via a user interface; generating,
responsive to the foreign country selected by the caller, a digit
string that includes a first access code, if any, for routing the
call off of a private network, a second access code to route the
call off of a national network associated with a current location
of the telephone device, and a country code of the foreign country;
and prompting the caller to enter a local number of the called
party via the user interface; appending digits of the local number
to the digit string.
17. The processor-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the user
interface comprises a graphical user interface (GUI).
18. The processor-implemented method of claim 16 wherein the user
interface comprises a telephony user interface (TUI).
19. The processor-implemented method of claim 16 wherein prompting
the caller to select the foreign country comprises: displaying a
world map to the caller; prompting the caller to select a
continent, region, or the foreign country from the world map.
20. The processor-implemented method of claim 19 further
comprising: displaying a continent/regional map responsive to a
continent or regional selection by the caller, the
continent/regional map including the foreign country; prompting the
caller to select the foreign country from the continent/regional
map.
21. The processor-implemented method of claim 16 further
comprising: placing the call using the digit string responsive to a
command of the caller, the digit string including the digits of the
local number.
22. The processor-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the local
number comprises a National Significant Number (NSN).
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
telecommunication systems; more specifically, to methods and
apparatus for assisting with the dialing of telephone numbers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In an increasingly global economy, international telephone
calls are becoming more commonplace. To place an international
telephone call requires that the calling party enter a relatively
long sequence of numbers. For example, a person who wants to call
someone in a foreign country typically has to press an initial
digit, such as "9", to dial out of a private network; then enter an
International Direct Dialing (IDD) prefix needed to dial a call
from a particular country to another country (such as "011" if the
call is placed in the United States); and then enter the country
code of the country he is calling (e.g., "44" for the United
Kingdom, "81" for Japan, etc.). Once these prefix digits have been
entered, a calling party may then enter the sequence of digits that
comprise the actual phone number of a particular individual or
business located in the foreign country.
[0003] The problem with this conventional type of dialing sequence
is that it is cumbersome and can often be confusing, especially
when the user has to manually enter these digits on a keypad. As a
result, dialing errors frequently occur, which is both frustrating
and a waste of time for the calling party. Often times, the calling
party ends up seeking help from others who are more familiar with
entering the correct prefix numbers associated with a particular
foreign country. Furthermore, based on business card information or
a business-wide directory lookup for a certain individual, it is
often unclear exactly what digits a person is supposed to dial to
route the call off the private network, route the call off the
national network, and/or route the call to the appropriate
country.
[0004] To add to the confusion, phone companies frequently add and
divide destination dialing codes to accommodate for the growth in
the number of subscribers. For example, the IDD prefix in many
countries has been changing regularly. Requiring a user to be aware
of unfamiliar destination codes of foreign countries, particularly
when the country codes results in lack of productivity that is
detrimental to productive endeavors.
[0005] A number of different telephone dialing assistance systems
and methods already exist. For example, U.S. Patent Application No.
20020076009 discloses a system and method for providing speech
recognition software in a telephone or telephone network for
identifying a location and a telephone number spoken by a user.
U.S. Patent Application No. 20040203757 discloses a system and
technique that involves retrieving information from a network,
identifying an international access code related to the retrieved
information, and placing an international call through the network
using the international access code. Similarly, U.S. Patent
Application No. 20060034446 discloses a method of displaying an
international telephone number in which a telephone number having
an IDD prefix is received or stored in the telephone or on a memory
card in the telephone. The telephone number is then displayed by
inserting at least one space between a country code portion
contained in the telephone number and subsequent numbers of the
telephone number. The country code portion of the telephone number
is determined by accessing a look-up table.
[0006] One problem with some of the prior art approaches is that
they typically require the user to interface with a network, which
can be slow or subject to temporary failure. Another problem is
that some of the prior art approaches require the user to have
knowledge of the IDD prefix for each country from which the user is
placing a call. This is especially problematic when a calling party
is traveling internationally and needs to place calls from multiple
countries.
[0007] What is needed, therefore, is a user-friendly and efficient
system and method for assisting a person with the dialing of
international telephone calls that overcomes the drawbacks inherent
in the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The present invention will be understood more fully from the
detailed description that follows and from the accompanying
drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention
to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and
understanding only.
[0009] FIG. 1 is an internet protocol telephone device having a
display in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a user-interface display screen showing a map of
the world in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is another user-interface display screen showing a
map of Europe in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is another user-interface display screen of a cell
phone in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 5 is another user-interface display screen in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a method of operation in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] A system and method that assists a user with the placement
of international telephone calls using a telephone device with
graphical capabilities, is described. In the following description,
specific details are set forth, such as device types, system
configurations, protocols, methods, etc., in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the present invention. However, persons
having ordinary skill in the relevant arts will appreciate that
these specific details may not be needed to practice the present
invention.
[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
graphical user interface (GUI) of a mobile or desktop telephone
device having a display equipped with touch-screen technology
provides the calling party with the ability to quickly and
automatically retrieve the prefix digits needed to place an
international call to a particular foreign destination or called
party. The touch-screen technology may include a scrollable map
with zoom functions, allowing a user to select a country to which
the called is to be placed. The GUI may be generated by software
(i.e., code) running the user's telephone device. In other cases,
the GUI may comprise a collaborative web-based application that is
accessed by browser software running on the user's telephone
device. In other instances, the GUI may comprise a downloaded
application, or other forms of computer-executable code that may be
loaded or accessed by a user's telephone device.
[0017] It is appreciated that other embodiments may implement a
telephony user interface (TUI) or voice user interface (VUI) to
implement the dialing assistant features of the present
invention.
[0018] There are usually four parts of a dialed number that need to
be entered in order to place an international call from a private
enterprise location. For example, if a user is calling from within
a business or private enterprise located in the United States,
there is typically an access code to route the call off the private
network. This digit is usually a single digit, such as "9" or "8",
although it could comprise more than one digit.
[0019] The next part of the telephone number that is needed for an
international call is an access code to route the call off the
national network. In a specific embodiment, the telephone device
may be configured to identify the caller's current location using
either standard cellular telephone triangulation techniques or
global positional system (GPS) tracking technology. In the case of
a desktop telephone device having a fixed location the access code
for routing off the national network is a constant digit string
(e.g., "011" for international calls from the U.S.) that may simply
be programmed into the device.
[0020] For mobile or cellular phones, when the user invokes the
dialing assistant GUI/TUI/VUI described herein, the program
operates to first identify the user's current geographic location
and network configuration in order to populate a digit buffer with
the appropriate access code digits needed to dial off of the
private and national networks. This information may be based on a
static configuration of the telephone device, which may involve
performing a lookup to a memory where the necessary access code
information is stored. In other cases, the telephone device may
perform a lookup to a server.
[0021] Thus, in one embodiment the program running on the telephone
device first identifies the caller's present location (i.e.,
country or region) from where the user is placing the call. Then,
based on that location, the program inserts the appropriate access
code string into a dialing buffer. Again, this information may be
obtained either from static information maintained in a memory of
the telephone device or from an accessible database.
[0022] Next, the user of the phone is presented with a geographic
map that displays various regions or countries that the user may
select (e.g., via a touch screen display) as a destination country
for his call. In a particular embodiment, a map of the world is
first displayed, allowing the user to select a continent or region
of the person to whom the call is being placed. If the selected
continent or region includes multiple countries, a second map
showing the various countries within the selected continent or
region is displayed after the user selects a particular continent
or region from the first global map. Using the second, more
localized map, the user may select the destination country or
region for his call. In response, the telephone device retrieves
the foreign country calling prefix or country code and appends it
into the string stored in the dialing buffer. Note that the country
code information may be retrieved from a memory location of the
telephone device, or by accessing a public database (e.g., via the
Web).
[0023] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,
at this point in the process the telephone device displays the
current contents of the dialing buffer to the user and prompts the
user to enter the remaining digits of the called party's number
(e.g., the area or city code, followed by the destination phone
number, which is usually a seven digit number). In other words, all
that the user is required to do is identify (via the GUI/TUI/VUI)
the country or region of the called party, and then enter the final
part (i.e., local number) of the called party. Thus, the present
invention obviates the need for the caller to enter any prefix
digits needed to route the call to the destination foreign
country.
[0024] Consider, as an example, a user who wants to place a call to
a person in London, England. In accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention, the user may invoke a specialized
international dialing assistant GUI, using the GUI to select the
portion of the world where England is located (i.e., Europe). The
map then zooms in or changes to display a map of Europe. At that
point, the user may select the country England (United Kingdom). In
response to the user's country selection, the user's telephone
device automatically populates a digit buffer with the appropriate
access code string (i.e., private network, national network, and
country code) needed to place the international call. The user is
only responsible for entering the actual destination number, not
any of the prefix digits that comprise the access codes discussed
above.
[0025] With reference now to FIG. 1, there is shown an Internet
protocol (IP) telephone device 10 having a display screen 11 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Telephone
device 10 includes a base unit with a handset 13, a DTMF
(alphanumerical) keypad 14, a volume control button 15, and a set
of programmable function buttons 16 that may be programmed for
functions such as speed dial, call forwarding, conference calls,
voice messaging and the like are provided. For instance, one of
buttons 16 may be programmed to automatically invoke the
international dialing assistant user interface described herein.
Intuitive "softkey" buttons 12 are also provided whereby a user may
make various selections or take a particular action by pressing one
of buttons 12 corresponding to a selection/action icon presented on
display screen 11. Alternatively, touch screen technology may be
used to interface with the map, thereby allowing the user to simply
touch or "click" on the country or region of the map as part of the
process of selecting a target network or destination country.
[0026] It should also be understood that a user may invoke the
dialing assistant user interface in a number of different methods,
such as via a menu selection, or by calling a phone number that
downloads the GUI program to the telephone device. Also, instead of
a GUI, the entire country or target network selection process may
be entirely text-based; that is, instead of a geographic map the
user would first be presented with a text listing of the various
continents and regions of the world. After the user selects a
continent or global region, the user interface transitions to a
listing of the countries or local calling regions in the selected
continent or global region. From there, the user may select the
target network or destination country.
[0027] Regardless of how the user interface is invoked, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, once the
user interface program is executed on the telephone device, a map
of the world is presented to the user via the display screen 11. An
example of such a map is shown in FIG. 2, which also includes a
text prompt that asks the user to select a country, region, or
continent displayed on the map. In the case where IP phone is
equipped with touch screen capabilities, the user may make his
selection simply by touching the area of screen 11 corresponding to
the destination telephone number.
[0028] In cases where telephone device 10 is not equipped with
touch screen technology, the GUI may operate to highlight various
continents or regions responsive to pressing various function keys
16. For example, one or more function keys may be programmed to
step through the different calling localities or countries--in the
process highlighting each country or regional locality on the map.
Another one of function keys 16 or softkey buttons 12 may be
programmed to select the highlighted continent or region.
Alternatively, a pointing input device, such as a pen input device,
may be utilized to first select a particular continent on the
global map, and then select a target network or country on the
continent map.
[0029] For example, if a calling party needs to place a call from a
private enterprise located in Santa Clara, Calif., to a receiving
(called) party in London, England, the calling party may simply use
the input device to touch Europe on screen 11. By activating this
portion of the map, the map then zooms in to center on a more
detailed map of Europe (see FIG. 3). The user may then touch
England (U.K.) on the European map. In response, the telephone
device populates a digit buffer with the appropriate access code
string needed to route the call off the private network, route off
the national network, and target the international call to London,
England. The user is then prompted to enter the digits comprising
the last part of the telephone number of the person they want to
call (see FIG. 5). This aspect of the present invention will be
discussed in more detail below.
[0030] Note that in the case where the destination party is located
in a very large nation, such as Russia, Canada, the United States,
or Australia, the user may simply select (e.g., touch) that country
in order to be prompted to enter the digits comprising the last
part of the telephone number of the person they want to call. That
is, for certain countries it is unnecessary to make a selection
from a second, expanded map displayed on screen 11.
[0031] In addition to the embodiments described above, it should be
understood that various other input forms, input devices, and
human-computer interface systems may be used. Input forms, other
than pointing and tactile inputs may include voice input of
different commands via an interactive voice response (IVR) system.
The control menus may also take various shapes/forms for
compatibility with the input forms and devices utilized in the
system.
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates a user-interface display screen 11
showing a map of Europe in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. This map may be displayed, for instance, as a
result of a user selecting the European continent from the map
shown in FIG. 2. A message at the side of the display screen 11
prompts the user to "Select the country you wish to call". In this
example, each country of Europe is clearly displayed. By using
touch screen technology, a pointer input device, or some other
selection mechanism (e.g., function keys 16 or softkey buttons 12),
a user may select France on the screen 11 as the destination
country of the called party. At this point, telephone device 11
automatically populates a dialing buffer with the required prefix
access code digit string.
[0033] In cases where the target network or country is fairly small
(e.g., Luxemburg) the user interface may display another expanded
or zoomed in map of the region to allow the user to make an
accurate selection from the touch screen of the display.
[0034] FIG. 5 shows user-interface display screen 11 in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention which includes various
populated prefix digit fields 31-33, a cursor 20, and a message
prompting the user to enter the final part of the telephone number
of the party to whom the call is being placed. For instance, in the
example of FIG. 5, the text message prompts the user to "Enter the
number you wish to call, then press send." As can be seen, the user
interface program has already populated the digit buffer with the
access code "9" in access code digit field 31, which represents the
required digit needed to exit the private network. This is followed
by the digits "011" in access code digit field 32, which represents
the number needed to dial outside of the national network, which,
in turn, is followed by the digits "44" in access code digit field
33, which represents the required digits for dialing to a
particular country--in this case, the United Kingdom.
[0035] It is appreciated that the numbers visible in fields 31-33
on display screen 11 are also stored in a digit buffer that will be
used to dial the called party once the user enters the final part
of the number. This digit string has been populated with these
particular access codes in response to selections made by the user
on the previous map display screens (e.g., the world map and
European maps of FIGS. 2 & 3, respectively) using a touch
screen interface or some other selection device/mechanism. It
should be understood that in cases where the calling party is not
located on a private network, the first access code digit field 31
is eliminated or ignored. That is, the dialing buffer may begin
with the access code digit field 32.
[0036] To complete the call the user simply enters the final part
of the telephone number (e.g., the National Significant Number
(NSN)) of the party the user wishes to call. As each digit is
entered, it is displayed in the area immediately to the right of
field 33, and cursor 20 moves over to the right to prompt the user
to enter the next digit (e.g., by pressing the appropriate keypad
button or by verbally saying the name of the digit). Once all of
the digits of the final part of the telephone number have been
entered, the caller may press "Send" or some other similar
functional button on the telephone device to initiate transmission
of the call across the various connecting networks to the called
(destination) party.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a user-interface display screen in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4
illustrates a mobile or cellular telephone ("cell phone") 22 having
a display panel or screen 51 that shows a user-interface display
screen displaying a map of Europe. Cell phone 22 also has a keypad
with a plurality of keys. Many of the elements on the cell phone
are common on cell phone handsets in use today, such as buttons to
launch an Internet Browser, to access a Message Center, and to
"Send" and "End" phone calls. Arrow buttons 56 may be used to
navigate through menu options which are displayed on the display
screen, and, in this particular embodiment, to step through each of
the different countries shown on the map--highlighting each country
in the process.
[0038] In the example in FIG. 4, softkey button 52 corresponds to
the "Back" icon shown on display screen 51. In this example,
pressing button 52 causes the user interface to sequence back to a
map of the world, such as that shown in FIG. 2. Similarly, softkey
button 54 corresponds to the "Select" icon shown on display screen
51. For instance, by pressing button 54 a user may select the
particular country highlighted on display screen 51. In the example
shown, the United Kingdom (UK) is currently highlighted. Thus, a
user who is located in the United States and who wishes to place a
call to someone in London, for example, may simply press softkey
button 54 to select the UK as the destination foreign country. The
result of this selection is the display screen shown in FIG. 5,
which includes a populated prefix consisting of fields 31-33 for
dialing to the U.K. from the United States. All that is left is for
the user to enter the NSN and press "Send" (i.e., button 55) in
order to complete the call to the called party in London,
England.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a method of operation in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention. The process starts with a user
invoking an international dialing assistance user interface (block
61) through whatever telephone device the user happens to be using.
The user interface may be embodied as executable code stored on the
telephone device and executed by a processor; alternatively, the
user interface may comprise code downloaded from a server or
another network node. Once the user interface has been invoked, the
user is presented with a screen that presents a geographic world
map, from which the user may select a country or region/continent.
After the user selects a continent or region, a second geographic
map of the selected continent or region may be presented on the
display screen. From this second screen, the user may select the
particular country where the called party is located, i.e., the
country where the user wishes to place a telephone call. This is
shown occurring at block 62.
[0040] Once the user has made a foreign country selection, the
telephone device (user interface) responds by retrieving the
appropriate access codes needed to route the call off the private
and national networks, as well as the country code of the target
network (block 63). These prefix access code digits are stored as a
digit string in a dialing buffer of the telephone device.
Additionally, the prefix access code digits may be displayed to the
user along with a prompt requesting the user to enter the final
part (i.e., the NSN) of the destination telephone number (block
64). As the user enters the digits of the final part of the
telephone number, each digit is appended to the prefix digits
stored in the dialing buffer. In other words, after the user has
completed entry of the NSN the dialing buffer contains all of the
digits needed to make the call to the called party in the foreign
country. Upon pressing the "send" button, the telephone call is
placed with the telephone device automatically adding prefix
numbers to the user-entered digits (block 65).
[0041] It should be understood that elements of the present
invention may also be provided as a computer program product which
may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon
instructions which may be used to program a computer (e.g., a
processor or other electronic device) to perform a sequence of
operations. Alternatively, the operations may be performed by a
combination of hardware and software. The machine-readable medium
may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical
disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs,
EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, propagation media or other type
of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic
instructions. For example, elements of the present invention may be
downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may
be transferred from a remote computer or telephonic device to a
requesting process by way of data signals embodied in a carrier
wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a
modem or network connection).
[0042] Additionally, although the present invention has been
described in conjunction with specific embodiments, numerous
modifications and alterations are well within the scope of the
present invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are
to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive
sense.
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